You cannot see it because it isn't here to see. It is up North, in China. It was based in Manchukuo - and when created - just before this test began - I failed to change its command assignment from Kwangtung Army. That is restricted and will NEVER change - so it can NEVER get to Luzon in our game! You WILL see it in test 5B - which just began - second turn in process now - and in test 6A - which is about to begin. There - someone else will be doing the Japanese and I will get to look at the Allies in great detail. But I will ask him to use the group somewhere.

Another problem here is that this is early days. IRL Japan had months to move heavy artillery from Manchuria to Luzon - and I have not had the time - or the political points - or the situation up North to dare send em. So much of the artillery that broke the back of at least 80,000 defenders on Bataan in 20 minutes isn't here at all - it isn't just the absence of the HQ.

Old man ElCid was asleep at the mouse on this one. Your men do not respect you, they fear your decision process.

Actually - it was a test. If your logistics was as it might be - this location isn't well fed and there are lots of troops - it might have fallen. And as it is - the damage won't be restored - and supplies are consumed. I have some railroad units en route to here - and some full scale divisions too - so this is simply measureing the opposition to gage where to send the heavy units? I expected to need them at other, larger cities nearby - but they were not well defended - as they ought to be - since this is the main rail LOC of China. I want it open - ships can't be torpedoed if you ship by rail!!

It is king of the Jungle - and king of a SE Asia with colonial and local forces devoid of AT weapons as well as most heavy weapons - but not impressive as armored units go - not even armored battalions.

42-1-6: A look around the map at the ground war. Mindanao IJA is doing the job on the poor Philippine Army.

In Mindinao, the key is to invade early. LOTS of PA troops show up if you wait! Also in RHS, there are US Army Transports (USAT) and patrol craft that appear all over the islands - but only if you hold em long enough! Mindinao has the only really good air base outside of Clark between Formosa and Australia - so leaving it in Allied hands risks B-17 attacks (or other bomber attacks) on the ships moving troops around PH and nearby. Invade early - and the eventual corps defense is only a weak division!

Here the problem is defensive terrain. One of the Japanese brigades is leaving - to recover from weeks of attrition. The ROC unit is not able to get good supply - so it must be in bad shape - remember it is a multi-division corps. But it has good position on defensive terrain - and it is a threat to Japanese vital LOC - so it must be reduced - whatever the time involved.

Again the problem is good defensive terrain. This area isn't as rought as it ought to be - but it is still pretty rough. The attackers are demoralized and should be relieved - but that would take a long time to arrange. Here the object is to reduce the strength of the unit so it will fall to modest forces. It is in a hopeless situation - but there are too many places needing the few units in the area. SE China has one reinforced division - not counting the units over by Hong Kong - to reduce a vast area.

Panay falls to a combination of airborne and amphibious assault. This is how to use airborne with effect - use the airborne to force a premature assault by the units just landing on the ground.

I am starting to load up very heavy guns to send to Luzon - but fear they may need too long to get there to test if they work? The only defense in the Philippines seems to be at Bataan/Clark and at Cebu.

Similarly in Malaya - no fight at all - no enemy except at Singapore and one hex NE of it. We are having trouble with supplies - just as IRL and because I sent too many troops - Yamashita was right - you can't feed too many division over the roads and rail lines in the area. So we are starting to jump off into Burma. Using Moulmein - siezed by air assault three days ago - we will try to isolate Rangoon in the next two days. Troops are massing at Georgetown - repaired at last - so jump off to invade the hinterlands. We will not try a coup de main but assemble and reduce Rangoon by overland assault once it is cut off from supplies.

The invasion of Port Moresby goes in today - the secret there is to go before the Allies can be ready for it. Time is the key to most things.

Once again, recon failed to show the presence of 6 units - in the event 6 corps plus a supporting HQ. Also - Big Red does not often attack in China - so I wasn't worried about an attack. He seems to mainly have not defenced most of East and SE China - not even the major rail nexus up by Kaifend. But here - in Central China - he may have drawn the line. And regretfully here is where ALL rail lines meet. So if we want to link up South China with East and North China - we need to control at least a few more hexes to the West. He can stay in West China though - the force it might require to drive him out of those rich and defensible mountains isn't something I can spare in 1942.

It appears that Allied recon and search is vastly better than Japanese so that once again I have airborne targeting an "empty" hex when, in fact, it has defenders (camo?????)

And once again enemy destroyers can sneak right into Kwajalein. Here I think I object. I have real coast defense units - but they don't detect or shoot. I had a major task force in port - we are talking tens of thousands of tons per ship here - but it wasn't engaged - while lesser ones were wiped out. I had air searching from three vectors - but no warning of the approach - so 3 subs fit to fight were not stood to - nor were major surface assets.

And once again enemy destroyers can sneak right into Kwajalein. Here I think I object. I have real coast defense units - but they don't detect or shoot. I had a major task force in port - we are talking tens of thousands of tons per ship here - but it wasn't engaged - while lesser ones were wiped out. I had air searching from three vectors - but no warning of the approach - so 3 subs fit to fight were not stood to - nor were major surface assets.

hMMMM, SOUNDS LIKE A FAILURE OF GENERAL STAFF TO ISSUE SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR A COVERING ESCORT FORCE.